The Deepest Cuts Leave Scars
by All Hail King Scar
Summary: Kion and his Gaurd have chosen to leave the Pridelands, to explore the lands beyond and help any animals they come across. But when they encounter a relative they thought was dead, danger sets in. How can they survive the very lion Kion swore he would never become?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome everyone, to the story you all seemed to want. And as I promised, I'm writing it. Well….. here we go…. Cross your fingers that nothing bad will happen to Kion…..**

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"What's the Guard for, Fuli?"

"What?"

Kion sighed, turning over to the cheetah. He and Fuli were sitting next to the water hole, staring down at their reflections as little waves rippled the reflection.

They had all grown up, Kion was now larger than Fuli, with a brilliant red mane and a firm, muscular body. Fuli was a fully grown cheetah, faster than ever. Beshte was the strongest he'd ever been, and Bunga had lost absolutely none of his vigor and energy. Still needed a few brains every now and then…

Ono had grown a healthy plumage, shining yellow and white. His eyesight was as clear as ever, if he flew high enough he could see the whole of the Pridelands, every problem that was going on, every animal that needed help.

But that was part of the problem.

"It's a rhetorical question." Replied Kion, as Fuli gazed questioningly at him. "What is the Gaurd for?"

"Uh…. you know, to serve and protect the Pridelands." Replied Fuli, raising an eyebrow. "It's in our motto. Till the Pridelands end… Lion Guard defend."

"I said it was a rhetorical question." Sighed Kion. "I know what's it's for, I was just…. trying to open conversation, that's all."

"About what?" Asked Fuli.

"About our purpose." Chuckled Kion, as he turned back to his reflection.

"What do you want to discuss about it?" Asked Fuli, shuffling up next to him.

"I'll give you a guess. Take a shot, what might I want to talk about concerning our job, our mission, here in the Pridelands? I'll give you a hint- it's got something to do with the fact that we're sitting here right now, doing absolutely nothing." Snorted Kion.

"Oh…. you're not still hung up about that, are you?" Asked Fuli, flicking her ears.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No… not really." She shrugged. "But you know the answer."

"Yeah, yeah…. I know what dad and Rafiki said." Mumbled Kion. "If the Pridelands aren't in danger anymore…. it means we've done a good job."

Kion was suffering from an acute sense of boredom. In the first few years of the Guard, they were nearly always busy- always helping someone who needed it. Whether it was chasing Janja and his friends off, helping a herd move to a safer location, or rescuing eggs in danger, they always had something to do. But as time had gone on, Kion had solved many of the problems that had come with rebuilding the land.

He had been born only shortly after the famous drought. Back then, it was as if the Pridelands were being born anew, and a new Pridelands had a lot of issues. Everyone was unsure of how things worked in the new Pridelands, and that obviously caused some problems.

But when Kion had become leader of the Guard, it was his job to solve all these issues, and he and his friends had been rather good at it. As the years went on, a solution for many of the problems had presented itself, and they had implemented any solution as soon as they had it. Janja and his small clan had been given hunting rights near the border. Nests and eggs were moved away from dangerous areas. Herds were given exact places to move, a safe route through the Pridelands, guaranteed.

And some issues had even solved themselves. Zira and her lionesses hadn't been seen in the Pridelands for years, and the last time Kion had seen her had been a little over thirteen months ago. It was as if she had disappeared or moved away, her plans of conquest in the Pridelands forgotten.

The Pridelands were safer than they had ever been, with Simba at the helm, Kiara as the soon to be Queen, and Kion as the Guard, it was as if they had entered a golden age.

A very boring golden age.

"Exactly." Smiled Fuli. "We've done our job. And it's not like we aren't still needed."

Kion huffed. "An emergency zebra birth doesn't count. Besides, that was a week ago."

"But we helped."

"All we did was go and get Rafiki. Literally, that was it. And you were the one who did the running, I just sorta stood there with Bunga, Besthe and Ono, trying to calm down a hysterical Zebra."

"But… we still helped."

"Puh. Whatever. How about you call me when there's a real problem." Snorted Kion, as he stood, and walked away, his tail dragging in the grass.

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Fuli watched Kion walk away, slowly padding around the water hole away from her. She let out a little sigh, and set her head down as her paws as she kept her eyes on her best friend, gazing at him across the water.

"Hey Fuli!"

"Ack!" Fuli shot up, standing on all fours as she whipped her head around, startled by the sudden noise.

"Did I scare ya?" Smirked Bunga, as he jumped down from the tree he had been sitting on.

"What? Nooo….."

"You jumped. I scared ya!" Grinned the honey badger, leaning up against the cheetah as she sat back down.

"I don't think that counts as being 'scared'." Huffed Fuli, glaring back at Bunga.

"Woah now! Don't go into denial!" Grinned Bunga.

"It's not denail if I'm right." Snapped Fuli playfully, pushing Bunga away from her with one of her paws.

"Well, you'll just go on on believing the wrong thing then…."

"We'll see about that." Fuli rolled her eyes as she turned away from Bunga. She looked back at Kion, who was sitting on the other side of the water hole. He was stating down at his reflection, sitting completely still as if in thought. Fuli stopd silent for a moment, staring at him.

"So whatchya thinking about anyways?" Asked the honey badger, as he trotted back in front of Fuli, looking up at her.

"Oh? Uh…. about Kion." Said Fuli, nodding at the lion across the water.

"About Kion? What about him?"

"Have you noticed he's been…. sorta…. down in the dumps, lately?"

"He has?" Asked Bunga, crinkling his nose. Fuli rolled her eyes again.

"Jeez Bunga, I swear you're the thickest animal I've ever met!" Grumbled Fuli, shaking her head.

"What?" Exclaimed Bunga, as if this information was new to him.

"Yeah, how could you not have noticed? You hang around him every day, and he's been sorta depressed for the last two weeks! How could you not have noticed?" She demanded.

"Fuli, I'm Kion's best friend! I know everything about him!"

"Then what's wrong with him?" Asked Fuli.

"Uh…. well…. he's down in the dumps!" Tried Bunga, with a cheesy smile.

"You only know that because I _told_ you he wasn't feeling very happy lately. And you used the same exact words I did!"

"Okay, okay, so maybe I don't know why Kion's feeling down." Admitted Bunga, shrugging. "But it's a one-time occurrence. And if you know so much, why don't you just tell me why he's depressed?" Asked Bunga. Fuli took a deep breath.

"He said we aren't needed anymore."

"What?" Bunga's jaw dropped open in confusion as he narrowed his eyes. "Why would he say that?"

"Because we really don't do a whole awful lot anymore." Sighed Fuli, setting her head down on her paws.

"What's that supposed to mean? We still help around here! Just last week, we helped that zebra-"

"You know that was mostly Rafiki anyways."

"Two and a half weeks ago, there was that nest that almost fell out of a tree!" Tried Bunga. Fuli stared at him, nonplussed.

"Really Bunga? A nest that almost fell out a tree? It doesn't get lamer than that!" She snapped.

"Oh phooey then. I guess we don't do very much then….."

"Not anymore." She shrugged, rolling over onto her back. "And I think it's affecting Kion. I think all this boredom is getting to his head."

"How so?" Asked Bunga, looking down at the relaxed Cheetah.

"Well…. he's the leader of the Gaurd, right?" She asked. Bunga nodded. "Well…. all his life, he's been told he needs to serve and protect other animals. To defend the Pridelands, sure, but also to help any animal who needs it. Why do you think he's the only lion we know who's friends with a hyena? Because she needed his help, and he looked past the hatred just because he felt it was his purpose to help animals. That's what his purpose is, his purpose is to help animals."

"And what's your point?" Asked Bunga.

"My point? Well… it's his purpose. And his purpose is now being taken away from him, he just…. it's like he can't handle it. He just can't face his entire livelihood being taken away from him, it's eating him from the inside out. I guess he just can't take boredom….."

"Wow Fuli…. that's kinda deep." Said Bunga, his eyebrows raised as he looked back down at the cheetah.

"Deep or shallow, it's why he's depressed." Mumbled Fuli. "And if we don't give him something to do, he might only get worse."

"But what could we do to keep him busy and… uh…. you mentioned purposeful…. or something like that?"

"I don't know." She replied, shaking her head. "I just…. don't know."

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A few days later…

"Kion, get up!"

"No….."

"Come on!"

Besthe, Ono and Fuli were standing in Kion's den, and Fuli was getting frustrated. It was time for their usual morning patrol, which Kion lead around the west end of the Pridelands. The west end of the Pridelands was the part that bordered the outlands, the last place Zira had been sighted. And therefore, the part that needed patrol.

Of course, by now it had devolved into almost painful monotony, with absolutely nothing happening on the patrol. The same sights, the same path, the same border, and same nothingness. Just boring. And just another reason Kion kept getting depressed.

"Come on Kion, get up!" Cried Fuli, extending her claws in frustration.

"I don't feel like it." Muttered the red lion, covering his eyes with his paws.

"But we have to get on patrol, it's our job!" Chimed Beshte, stepping forward.

"I said I don't feel like it." He murmured.

"Besthe is right, it's our job!" Growled Fuli, stamping her paw.

"It doesn't matter, I don't care."

"Why!? Come on, we do this every day! Just get up, and come on!"

"I don't care!" Growled Kion, not looking up at his group. "You don't need me, the patrol is pointless. It's the same old thing every day, the same boring patrol that accomplishes absolutely nothing!"

"So what are you going to be doing if you won't be on patrol?" Asked Ono, fluttering his wings.

"I don't know. Thinking, I guess."

"You're just going to sit here and think all alone? That's it?" Demanded Bunga. "That sounds boring! Why would you ever want to do that?"

"I need time to think, just won't all of you leave me alone already?!" Snarled Kion, getting angry. The Guard stared at him for a moment, dismayed at his pessimistic attitude. Then Fuli gave a sigh, and turned around to walk out. The rest of the Gaurd followed her out, leaving Kion behind in his den, alone.

"Well… he wasn't very happy." Remarked Besthe, as they headed out for their patrol.

"No kidding." Grumbled Fuli, as Ono fluttered down to land on the hippo's back.

"How much longer do you think he's going to stay like this?" Asked Ono, flapping his wings.

"I don't know, but he'd better snap out of it quick." Muttered the Cheetah. "He's starting to drag all of us down with his stupid sad attitude."

"Hey Fuli, you know what we talked about a few days ago?" Asked Bunga, as he jogged along sides Fuli's quicker strides.

"What about it?"

"Well…. have you thought of anything that could keep Kion busy and… you know, give him something to do?

"No." She sighed, shaking her head. "I got nothing."

"But you're working on it…. right?"

"Yeah." She nodded, rolling her eyes. "I'm just stumped, is all."

"Do you need help?" Aked Ono.

"If I'm still stumped by tomorrow…. yeah, I'm going to need help. Let's just finish this patrol and get home, Kion is right about one thing."

"What?"

"That this patrol is boring." She replied, as they walked towards the border.

As she had prophesied, the patrol had indeed turned out to be absolutely pointless. As per the usual, no enemies were sighted, and nothing strange was to be reported. They spoke with Janja and reaffirmed his hunting right near the border, they checked the edge of the outlands for sights or scents of Zira and her lionesses, and they made sure the river was clear.

When they came back that afternoon, Beshte and Ono had waved goodbye, heading off to the water hole to relax. Bunga had left to go see Timon and Pumbaa, to check on how they were doing. All that was left was Fuli, and she decided to go see Kion, and see how he himself was doing.

She walked up to his den, bracing herself for more groaning and complaining. She hopped up onto the stones, and walked inside to find Kion staring back at her. After a pause, Kion suddenly broke out into a grin.

"Hey Fuli!" He called, padding forward to greet her.

"Uh, yeah…. hi Kion-"

"That's great, that's great… anyways, come on Fuli!" Cried Kion, as he ran out of the den. Raising an eyebrow in confusion at his sudden energy, Fuli turned around and padded after him.

"What's up?"

"We gotta go see my dad!" Grinned Kion, glancing back at her as they descended back to the grass.

"Well…. why?" Asked Fuli.

"Why? Because…. we're leaving the Pridelands!

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 **Chapter one! Tell me what you all think of course, but I think this was a great chapter!**

 **Also, a huge thanks to Decrosse, he helped out a little bit, and he'll be helping out more later! So maybe, check him out.**

 **Also, speaking of checking things out, I wrote the first chapter of another story, and it's a lion king/ zootopia crossover. So if you would like that, go check it out….**


	2. Exodus

**Welcome everyone, to the story you all seemed to want. And as I promised, I'm writing it! :) And do leave a review... authors like me put hours into writing chapters for you guys, surely you can spare five seconds...**

 **Well... here we go... Cross your fingers that nothing bad will happen to Kion... ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()))()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"You... want to do _what_ ?!"

"Yeah dad, this is perfect!"

Simba was staring at his son, his jaw hanging open in astonishment. Kion was staring right back, grinning widely. At his side was the rest of the guard, all of whom were fixated on Simba, waiting to see what he would say to Kion's suggestion.

And so far, it looked like a no.

"P-perfect?" Sputtered Simba, one of his eyes twitching. "Did... did you just say you wanted to- to-"

"Leave the Pridelands! Me and the guard will be going on be going on a walkabout, for a few months or years! We'll be able to help animals again, we'll be back in the action!" Said Kion, meeting Simba's eyes eagerly.

"What... what?" Gasped Simba, finally snapping out of his surprised stupor. He looked back down at his son, his eyes wide. "Are you _serious_ ?!"

"Well... yeah!"

Earlier that day, Kion had assembled the rest of the guard and told them of his plan. He'd been filled with vigor when he related his daring idea, and so excited after his long months of depressed boredom that no one wanted to snap him out of it. Each of them thought the idea was nuts, but as Fuli glanced over at Bunga, she realized she didn't have any way of breaking it to Kion. They just couldn't leave the Pridelands, though, they were...supposed to defend them, not explore lands outside them!

"What exactly... do you mean?" Asked Simba, raising his eyebrows in his astonishment.

"Come on dad, it's simple! Me and the Guard will leave the Pridelands, because we aren't needed here anymore. We'll be able to explore the lands outside of the Pridelands, and we'll be able to really help animals again! And then we'll come back sometime in the future, to tell you all about what happened!"

"You want to leave the Pridelands... to find other animals to help?" Asked Simba, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, that's basically it."

"But... Kion, what's wrong with here? Why would you ever want to leave your home, and even take the rest of the guard with you!" He asked.

"There's nothing wrong with here, dad. And that's the problem. The Pridelands have just grown too... perfect. We've already settled pretty much anything and everything that caused problems. We've been sitting around, doing absolutely nothing, for months!"

"B-but, Kion... that's a good thing, it means you succeeded! But never mind that, why would you want to leave your family, and your home!" He demanded, stepping forward toward his son. "Don't tell me you're seriously considering leaving your family!"

Kion took a step back from Simba, a flash of unease in his eyes. But Kion shook it off, and took a deep breath.

"Okay... dad, listen. I'm not leaving you or anyone else in my family." "But you said you were leaving-"

"Only for a year or two. Look, this is a very temporary sort of... thing. Can't we discuss this without you freaking out?" Asked Kion, standing tall.

Simba stared back down at his son, looking indecisive. He glanced behind him, his eyes still wide and filled with confusion. Kion and the rest of the guard stood very still, waiting for some sort of verdict from the king. Eventually, Simba let out a sigh.

"I... just let me go get Nala and Rafiki... We'll continue this in a moment." He said, turning around and running off. Kion and his guard watched Simba run over the grass away from them, until he disappeared over the next hill. They were quiet for a moment, unmoving.

"Well, I think that went well!" Grinned Kion, interrupting the silence.

"Well? Uh... I wouldn't quite say that..." Replied Ono, ruffling his feather. Fuli gritted her teeth as Kion turned around with a questioning look.

"Why? He'll go get mom and Rafiki, and we can discuss how long we're going to be away."

"Yeah, but..." Fuli sighed. "He just... didn't look very open to the idea, that's all Ono was trying to say."

"He'll come around." Grinned Kion. "I can convince him this is only for the good. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could get lost!" Interjected Beshte.

"Or die of... starvation." Added Bunga, his voice ghostly as he patted his stomach. Ono rolled his eyes.

"Or attacked." Said Beshte.

"Pfft." Kion rolled his eyes, completely nonplussed by their concerns. "I won't lead any of you into anywhere with danger. That includes confusing landscapes, places with enemies, or deserts. Trust me you guys, we'll be fine!"

Fuli looked down at her paws, not at all soothed by his words. He looked a little too confident for what he was proposing, heck, even Bunga was a little nervous! And if Bunga was nervous, then she knew there was something dangerous about it.

"Kion." She started, trying to keep her voice even and companionable. "We trust you of course... you've lead us excellently for the last two years. It's just that.."

"Just that what?" Asked Kion, cocking his head.

"Just that... we're a little anxious that you haven't thought this through." She finished, picking her head up to look the lion in his eyes. The rest of the guard all nodded, agreeing with her.

"You guys think I haven't thought this through? Weren't you just listening when I was talking to dad?" Asked Kion, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Of course we were!" Said Bunga, sounding slightly offended.

"Yeah, we were, we're just... worried you're too eager for this. That you're shoving reason aside because you really want to go on this adventure? This adventure you came up with... just a few hours ago? How do we really know you thought this through?" She asked, stepping up to Kion. Kion blinked.

"Because... I'm your leader and you should listen to me?..." He tried.

"No! Come on Kion, that's not good enough! You are our leader, and a very good one! We're okay with following you to who knows where, but you have to prove to us that you thought this through!" She demanded.

"I... uh... all right, just... listen up them." Sighed Kion, shaking his head. "Trust me, I have thought this through. You all already know why I want to leave."

"Yeah, because you want to keep helping animals, and we just can't do that around here..."

"Exactly. " Nodded Kion. "Helping and protecting those who need it is my mission, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep doing it. And if that means finding another place to continue the mission, then so be it."

"Okay... that's all well and good of course but... have you thought through what that means?" Asked Ono, craning his neck. Kion took another deep breath.

"Well... yeah. Simba's already told us the Pridelands and the Graveyard is almost completely surrounded by the desert, right?" He asked, to which the guard nodded. "But we know Simba crossed the desert, and that was when he was a cub. So the desert isn't a problem, we'll make the crossing without an issue."

"And what about after we make it across?" Asked Besthe. "What about then? How can you be sure we'll ever find our way back?"

"After we make it across? That won't be a problem either." Grinned Kion. "We can navigate using the stars."

"Uh... the stars?" Asked Bunga, cocking his head in confusion.

"Yeah. The Great Kings Of The Past live in stars, and they've kept the stars in one place for centuries. Rafiki showed me how to use the stars to navigate, there are certain constellations and brighter stars in the sky that can show us the way. Some stars are always in the east, and some stars are always in the west. We can keep direction like that."

Fuli blinked, that was actually a really good idea. It had never crossed her mind that they could ever use the stars to navigate the land... and stars never moved, so they would never get lost. Maybe Kion had thought this through this through after all.

"We'll be using your ancestors as a guide?" Asked Beshte, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, that's basically it." Nodded Kion. "We'll explore all the areas around the Pridelands, and if we ever come across someone with a problem, we can help them." He shrugged.

"Oh.. okay then." Nodded Fuli. "Well... thank you for reassurance."

"You're welcome. I'm your leader, I wouldn't run into this blind if you guys were coming along with me." Smiled Kion.

"Thanks." Grinned Bunga, giving Kion a thumbs-up. Fuli looked back over past Kion, to see Simba returning with Nala and Rafiki.

"Kion." She said, flicking her tail. "Your family is coming back."

"Oh. Good!" Grinned, Kion, as he turned around to recieve his family. Rafiki and Nala stood next to Simba, with Simba looking a little unsure of himself. But he took a deep breath, and looked back at his son.

"So... we discussed what you wanted..."

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That evening, Kion stood at the edge of the border, his paw up in the air as he waved goodbye.

"Bye mom! Bye dad! See you later Kiara!" He called, waving his paw back and forth.

"Bye Kion!" Called Kiara, as she too waved her paw in a gesture of departure. "Stay safe!"

Stay safe!" Added Nala, her kind eyes on her son. "Come back to us... whole."

"I will." Nodded Kion. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye..." Nodded Simba, as Kion turned around. The rest of his guard stayed for a moment, looking out over the Pridelands and the rolling fields of grass. They glanced out at Kion, who stood at the edge of the desert and the emptyness beyond. One by one, they trotted out to Kion, firm dedication on their faces.

"You guys ready?" Asked Kion, grinning at his friends.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Nodded Fuli.

"Then... there's the whole world for us to explore out there. We'll be back here in a year or two, but for now... let's go." Said Kion, turning around with a spring in his step. They trotted out over the sand, in complete silence.

Fuli glanced back at the Pridelands every few minutes, watching the greenery slowly disappear in the distance. They kept walking, with Kion's teeth showing in his wide smile. Fuli looked back again a few moments later, and found she could barely see the trees...

They were leaving their home...

They were really leaving...

"Kion!" Ono flew down the sky, landing in fromt of the red lion. Kion stopped short, looking down at the little white bird.

"What?"

"There's a hyena running towards us..." Ono gestured back the way they came. "I think it's that friend you have... Jasiri."

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 **Uhm... this came out way too late, and it's crappy. Sorry. What can I say, the next chapters will be better...**

 **And sorry about the lateness, there's this little thing called LIFE that's been getting in the way of writing recently... nothing I could do about it... I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker.**


	3. Relationship goals

**Welcome everyone, to the story you all seemed to want. And as I promised, I'm writing it! :) And do leave a review… authors like me put hours into writing chapters for you guys, surely you can spare five seconds….**

 **Well….. here we go…. Cross your fingers that nothing bad will happen to Kion…..**

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"Jasiri!"

"Kion!" Called the hyena, as she bounded over the sand dune. The rest of the guard stood behind Kion as he padded up to the hyena skidding to a stop in the sand.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Kion, grinning down at the smaller hyena.

"What am I- Kion!" She complained, looking irked. "What do you think I'm doing here? You were leaving! And…. without me!"

Jasiri was one of Kion's closest friends, without being on the guard. Many years ago, after an unfortunate accident, Kion had gotten lost in the outlands. He'd only just started the guard in those days, and was still a rather inexperienced cub. Luckily for him, Jasiri had found him while he was wandering around in the outlands and had guided him out to a safe location.

Lions and hyena generally didn't even speak to each other, but ever since then Kion and Jasiri had become pretty good friends. Jasiri knew she could always count on Kion, and Kion always counted on her for excursions into the deserted area past their borders. She was one of the few friendly hyenas, and an ally of the Pridelands.

And it seemed that Kion had forgotten to tell her that they were leaving on their journey.

"Oh… uh…" Kion rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, the color going from his eyes. "Uhm… sorry about that…"

"Sorry?! That's all you have to say?" She cried, glaring at him. "You were going to leave without me!"

"Uh….."

"You'd better not have left me out on purpose!" She snapped, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"Oh no!" Kion replied, quickly shaking his head. "It wasn't on purpose! It's just that… this idea was kind of… spur of the moment, and was supposed to only include the guard! I swear I hadn't meant to!"

"Am I not _important_ enough or something?!"

As Fuli looked on at Kion and Jasiri, she let out a little chuckle. That had definitely been a slip up on Kion's part…. recently, Kion had been hanging out with Jasiri more and more often as the guard's free time had increased. And it wasn't always with the rest of the guard either, most of the time it was just Kion and Jasiri by themselves. In fact, if Fuli didn't know better, she'd say the two animals arguing in front of her looked a lot like Simba and Nala when they argued.

"No!" Exclaimed Kion, looking horrified. "You are important to me, I just forgot! I swear, it just slipped my mind!"

" _I_!?" She shouted, staring at Kion incredulously. " _I_ slipped _your_ mind!?"

"It was an accident!"

"Pretty poor accident!" She exclaimed, casting him one more scathing glare before walking past the red lion. Kion stared at her, his jaw hanging open as Jasiri walked up to Fuli.

"So.. what's up Jasiri?" Asked Fuli, smirking as the rest of the guard looked from Kion, to Jasiri, then back to Kion.

"I'm going with you guys." She muttered. "Where are we going?"

"We don't actually know." Shrugged the cheetah. "We're just…. going on an adventure, seeing where the wind will take us. First we'll cross this desert, and after that…. who knows?"

"Sounds good to me." She replied. Kion walked up behind her, looking guilty.

"Jasiri, I-"

"I'm not talking to you." Interrupted Jasiri, sticking her paw back at his face without turning her her head. "You got nothing to say to me."

"But Jasiri!-"

"Shush!" She snapped, looking irked. Kion blinked, drawing his head back shamefully. Jasiri huffed, then stood up and walked past the guard towards the rest of the desert.

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" She called, trotting over the sand. Fuli grinned, and ran up to Jasiri as the rest of the guard slowly began to follow. She glanced back at Kion, grinning at the disgruntled lion.

"So…" Bunga smirked, as Kion padded over the sand next to Beshte. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing. Shut up." Muttered Kion, frowning down at his paws.

"Oooh, why won't you tell me?" Grinned Bunga, punching the lion playfully on the shoulder.

"It's not important." He grunted, not turning his head.

"It sounded pretty important to me." Added Ono, joining in on Bunga's fun.

"I said it wasn't important!" Hissed Kion, glaring at Ono.

"Guys! Stop teasing Kion!" Chuckled Fuli, calling back at the males. Bunga gave Fuli a half hearted apologetic look, and Ono rolled his eyes. Kion looked back down at the sand, still looking miffed.

"So, Jasiri…" Fuli turned towards the hyena, grinning. "Why were you so angry?"

"Why?" Exclaimed Jasiri, raising an eyebrow at the cheetah. "Well…. Uh…..because…. because I'm his friend, and he almost left me behind! If I hadn't ran into Simba- which was kind of awkward, by the way- I would have been left behind!"

"Well, sure, but you know Kion's busy, and he did just have this idea yesterday….. he really did just forget." Replied Fuli.

"Puh. That's no excuse, he should never have forgotten about me." She mumbled.

"And why is that?" Asked Fuli, tilting her head.

"Well, duh! I'm his friend!"

"Sure, but you only see each other about once every other week…. you aren't that close of friends."

"We see each other more than twice a month!" She snapped, now casting Fuli a lion glare.

"Really?" Asked Fuli, raising an eyebrow. "When do you do that?"

"Uh…." At that moment, Jasiri's eyes looked blank for a moment, and she bit her lip. "You know, just…. whenever we…. stumble across one another….."

"And what do you guys do?" Asked Fuli, flicking one of her ears. Now this… this was news to her….

"Just stuff." She replied cooly. "Completely normal stuff that completely normal animals do."

"Oh. All right."

"Yeah. Exactly. Anyways, come on! The sooner we cross the desert, the better!" Muttered Jasiri, picking up her pace to walk in front of Fuli. Shaking her head with amusement, Fuli kept walking. They could talk about it later.

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Three days later, to be specific. Because as it turned out, that was how long it took to cross the desert.

"Oh, man! Water! Look, there's water!" Cried Bunga, springing forward toward the river. Kion and the rest of them were close behind, their parched lips begging for refreshment from the river. They skidded to a stop in front of the swirling liquid, pushing their maws into the life giving substance.

Kion gulped the water down, his throat bulging. He had really needed that…. a few of them had been close to collapsing, Besthe especially. When Ono had told them there was a river ahead, they'd practically leaped for joy, finding renewed energy to finish the last legs of their desert journey.

"Ah! That feels great!" Exclaimed Beshte, stepping into the water. Being a hippopotamus, he certainly wasn't made for the dry desert air.

The moment Kion finished gulping down his drink, he drew back, and sat down with a relaxed sigh. Their last day had been a little worrying, since they had already come too far to turn back. But they'd pressed on, and…. well, they'd made it. They'd made it across the desert, and with it, completed their first challenge.

Kion looked around at the area surrounding the river. Off to his right, there was a well wooded area filled with leaves and vines, something Kion recognized to be a jungle. Off to his left was a more familiar area, plains of orange grass stretching off farther than he could see. It looked a bit like the Pridelands, with Savanna trees dotting his view, except not quite as vibrant. The grass was duller, and the rocks were smoother. It seemed to him like the area was in it's dry season.

"Okay guys!" He said, raising his voice so the rest of them could hear. The guard all turned towards him, except for Jasiri, who kept drinking from the river and ignoring him.

"What is it?" Asked Ono, fluttering his wings. Kion paused, then nodded.

"Well…. for starters, we made it across the desert!" He said, grinning.

"Yeah, we did it! We beat the desert, and all that sand!" Exclaimed Bunga.

"Yeah… anyhow, now that we made it through our first challenge, we're at a crossroads." Said Kion, glancing at the two biomes before him. "For today, I want all of you to rest, and get plenty of water, but keep in mind what's ahead of us, and try to decide which way we want to go. Whether it's the savanna or the jungle, got it?"

"Oh yeah. We're all over that." Chuckled Beshte, rolling over in the water. "We'll have an answer for you by tomorrow no problem!"

"Thanks guys." Chuckled Kion, smiling down at his friends. "I know I can always count on you…. anyways, I guess you all have free time until tonight!"

"Perfect!" Grinned Bunga, as he lied down on the sand next to the river. "I'll just take a nap!"

"You get to that." Smiled Kion, turning around and padding away. He looked up at the sun for a few moments, it was nearly midday. They had plenty of time to rest…. and each of them deserved it.

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Jasiri was looking over at Kion as he stared up at the sky, glaring at him. Ono fluttered down next to her, flapping his wings flamboyantly as he landed.

"Hey Jasiri!" He chirped, looking up at the hyena. Jasiri grunted in reply, but didn't move from her position, her turn her head from her glare. Ono tilted his head questioningly.

"Uh…. Jasiri?"

"Oh, what? What is it?" Asked Jasiri, sounding irked as she looked down at the little white bird.

"I don't mean to bother…" Said Ono, blinking. "But…. well, why are you still angry at Kion?"

Jasiri stared at Ono for a moment, her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" She asked. "He almost left me behind on his big adventure!"

"But he told you that was an accident." Replied Ono. "He didn't mean anything by it."

"But he still forgot." She said, with a frown. "I'm his friend, he shouldn't have forgotten."

"Jasiri, you only come into the Pridelands once or twice a month! It's not like you two are that close of friends, and this mission was…. well, kinda only supposed to be for the guard."

"I see Kion more than-" Jasiri started her sentence, then stopped. She glared at Ono for another moment, her eyes flashing in fury. "Never mind."

"Never mind what?" Asked Ono, feeling confused. He couldn't make heads or tails of what Jasiri was saying, or why she was still angry at Kion!

"Never mind what I was going to say. And anyways, don't you have better things to do than pester me, birdie?" She snapped.

"Well…. Uhm… no, not really." Shrugged Ono.

"Well do something else!" She growled, turning to bare her teeth at Ono. Ono blinked and hopped backwards, surprised by her sudden display of aggression.

"Uh… it was nice talking to you!" He said, turning around and fluttering away to leave Jasiri alone. He landed next to Fuli, who was lounging in the sun.

"Hey Ono. What's is it?" Asked Fuli, looking up from her nap.

"Jasiri's still angry at Kion…. for whatever reason." He replied. "And I don't know why."

"What do you mean? What's she doing?" Asked Fuli, standing up and looking over at Jasiri. Ono turned to look too to see Jasiri marching up to Kion. The two of them sat in silence as they watched Jasiri begin to yell at the red lion, who only looked more and more guilty with every passing second.

Fuli blinked, cocking her head.

"Well…. I'll have to ask Kion about it later."

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 **So, there's another chapter… tell me what you thought :)**


	4. Author's note

all right, I would just like to make it clear that I have not abandoned this story. It is only on hiatus because it turns out it's really hard to write two stories at once and also have a life. At least, my life. Maybe some of you out there have a lot less going on, I don't know.

But while we're here, this was prompted by a guest review (it was a nice review) but then it insinuated I was indecent for not working on this story. Come on, mate! I don't know if you yourself write or not, (not having an actual account would seem to imply they don't, but of course, that doesn't really mean anything) so... if that same guest reads this, tell me if you know anything about writing. That way, I can find out if my accusations have any base or not. Cause writing is harder than you might think. Unless you yourself write, I don't know. People usually stop writing stories because of issues in their real lives. Just to be clear on that.

So in conclusion, I will finish this story once my other one, The Civilized Wild is all done. (*cough* check it out) and that guest review... just... explain yourself, I suppose. If you do write, then I guess most of what I just said is invalid. And you just have a lot of free time or a surplus of motivation. Who knows. I don't want to be mean. Sorry if I was. I don't think I was. But sorry if his in any way offended you. Unless you deserved it, because you're too upset at an author who had to stop writing because of other issues.

Darn it, you probably hate me now. Don't hate me, I don't hate you. You really did leave a nice review, and I just love getting nice reviews. So I really can't hate you. :) and seriously, thank you for the review. I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, but it just... rubbed me the wrong way as I wrote everything above. I hope to see you again :)


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